Weary of the Hostility, a City's Blacks Will Go

Published: August 29, 1993

HOUSTON, Aug. 28—
Six months ago, John DecQuir Sr. moved into a public housing project in Vidor, becoming the first black resident of the southeast Texas town since the 1920's. "Faith can move mountains," he said then. "This ain't nothing but a molehill."

Now, his faith shaken, Mr. DecQuir plans to move. The optimism he had when he arrived has been eaten away by the hostility in the complex and around town, said his lawyer, Tom Oxford.

Bill Simpson, who in March became the second black person to move to Vidor in recent times, is also leaving.

"It's gotten to the point where my nerves have been on edge," said Mr. Simpson, who at 7 feet and 300 pounds, has never been physically threatened but is tired of the harassment. "I don't want to worry who's going to do something and what they're going to do, when it's going to happen, where it's going to happen." History of Hatred

Both men moved to Vidor (rhymes with cider) as a result of a class-action lawsuit filed against the Federal Government in 1980 by three black plaintiffs alleging segregation in public housing. Judge William Wayne Justice of Federal District Court ruled that 170 public housing projects in 36 East Texas counties, some all white and some all black, must be desegregated.

In Vidor, the ruling generated rallies by factions of the Ku Klux Klan. A town of 11,000 near the Louisiana border, Vidor has long had a reputation for racial hostility, and until the early 1970's it was a bastion of Klan activity.

Mr. Oxford, a Legal Aid lawyer who represents Mr. Simpson as well as Mr. DecQuir (pronounced DECK-weer), said his clients have been dealing with racial harassment from the outset. "They're tired and have a legitimate concern for their safety," he said. He plans to take depositions from Housing and Urban Development officials next week to determine what, if any, legal action he will take.

Jack Flynn, a HUD spokesman in Washington, said the department was "deeply concerned about the problems in Vidor" and was studying solutions. Greeted With Epithets

Richard Stanfield, executive director of the Orange County Housing Authority, which has responsibility for the 74-unit complex, did not return calls.

Mr. Oxford also represents two black women, Alexis Selders and Brenda Lanus, who moved to the complex with their young children this summer and left after two weeks. He said they had been recruited by the housing authority but were not informed of the racial tension in Vidor.

The women, who were moving from Baton Rouge, La., first experienced those tensions when they stopped at a gas station and asked for directions to the complex. They were politely given directions but were informed that they were in the wrong town, said Mr. Oxford. As they walked around seeking employment, they were met by racial epithets hurled from passing cars. No one would give them applications for work.

Chief James Reynolds of the Vidor Police Department described the situation at the housing complex as "quiet," but he confirmed that an anonymous caller to the sheriff's department had threatened to blow up an unspecified apartment complex in Vidor. A 24-hour police watch at the housing project, begun when Mr. DecQuir moved in, will continue, Chief Reynolds said. 'Just Hasn't Worked'

Mike Daniel, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs in the 1980 lawsuit, said a hearing on the adequacy of desegregation plans is scheduled before Judge Justice in October.

"It's clear it just hasn't worked," Mr. Daniel said. "It hasn't worked obviously because of the attitudes of the Klan and at least some of the people in Vidor in connection with the housing authority. It also hasn't worked because of Federal Government officials' refusal to really insist on compliance with the law."

After the departure of Ms. Selders and Ms. Lanus this summer, Ron Kelly, the agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in nearby Beaumont, met with residents to discuss civil-rights law, the court order and actions that would be considered a hindrance to that order.

"I talked, and they listened," said Mr. Kelly. "I can't do anything about what's in their heart but I sure can do something about their actions."

The good intentions mean little to Bill Simpson, who planned to spend this weekend looking for another place to live.

"There's some good people in Vidor," he said. "I just feel the overall attitude overcomes the goodness."